Apparatus for use with tractors and cultivators



(5. L. MILLER Jan. 1, 1952 APPARATUS FOR USE WITH TRACTORS AND CULTIVATORS 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Oct. 13. 1945 71(5 AlTorn e3,

Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNIT-ED STAT] 45 era' -em OFFICE;

APrA'nA'rUs'FoR Use WITH r tAo'roRs AND CULTIVATORS- Gustave L Miller, Gene'seo,- Ill: Application October 13, 1945", Serial No'.'s22,186 3 Claims. (01. 97-192) Onef'of' the"purposesof the inventionis t0 aspryfa suctionforcetoth'e young plants just ahead of thecultiva'tor' blades; to raise any of tlie'feorn blades thatniayi be lying "down, and in danger ofj'being coveredwith the earth. This e: an' f n apparatus includin mowe Or other wind producing machine/With a"jnoaale attachment for passing over the young plants, in near proximity thereto." It is designed tojbeuse'd in this way when theyoung corn is ahout the'he'ig ht for? thenrst pmwing With cl ilti vators, andto hold the youngplantsand shoots .7

in erect'positionunt'ilthe shovels pass, and the corn' isfsupported by a small quantity of earth. This is'somewhat'similar to the purpose merrtioned in Letters" Patentpf the United States Nb:1;166,144,"issued to myself Dec; 28,1915, for an Attachment for Cultivators.

Zlnthis first tilling of the crop the instrument is "also" efiectivedrr suckingfrom the young plant injurious-insects;such as-chinch bugs, corn borer moths, and the like; It will also pullup someof' the" younger weeds about the plants; by force of the air. 7

Indater'operations' ofthe cultivator, with the com a foot or more high, the direction of movement of the blowercan be changed, and a current of air directed against the still young corn, tending to support the same against the work of the oncoming shovels, until again partially covered with the earth. The force of the air current also'operates to pack down the young weeds about-the-bases ofthe corn plants, just ahead oftheshovels; so that-the weeds'are well covered by the ridges'of dirt thrown up by the shovels! For this operation the nozzles are carried at-a greater height above the ground than for'lthat' first described above. At this stage of the'cultivating operation the apparatus can also be employed as a spraying-or dusting device, for applying" to the" young leaves of the corn some form of insecticidesuch'as D. D. T. for the killing'of corn borer moths Or other insects before referred to.

Before the corn is above the ground it is sometimes the practice to use the tractor during hours of darkness or semi-darkness, in disking or other operations, the work being aided by l I, corresponding wi v 22 head-lights on the tractory-arid the "present vention can be combined with the lure ofsuch head-lights to draw into the bldwel moths' 'ahd other insects the larvae of which" arealreacr'y haunting a field."

The above namedfand other"features'anda vantages of the" invention" wi'lli mo're fully a pear from the following"specification; referencebeing had to the accompanying dfawings'; in" which H Figure 1 is asideelevat'ibnal-view of-a trac tor with one form of the-"invention applied" thereto. v

Figure '2 is "a"viewsimilar" to Figure 1 with a modified form of the -mvent1on= applied to the tractor.

In the" last four' figures the corn plants are shown at a"re1ative1y"greater "height than in:- Fig: 1, and withthe nozzle apparatus in ashiftedposition'to conform therewith? The reference number 5 indicates a farm trac tor of common cori'structi'ori',- having a" pair of" steerin wheels Biand "traction wheels l; one'or ed in a rearward extnsioriflflofthetractofi Supported at the side of the tractor is a -s heof't' the power shaft of the tractor," upon which is a pulley zjfconnected by a belt 13 with a pu'1ley-l4**on a"shaft I 5, iour'-* nailed on" the side 'of 'th'e tracto'rf- Rocking-1y mounted uponsaid shaft is a-=blower casing I 6 containing a-rotaryf'fan"mbunted on the' shaft [5 (not shown inf-the drawing), and-"rec'eiv'i rotation from" said shaftf Projected aim: theouter partof the mower-15a pipe I I; supported by a cable i8; on"e end' of which is connected with a collar Is am the piper andtheother end of which 'is'fittd with a"rin'g'*2i!,- for attach'rhent to one or other of f hooks 2'! on the tractor; for holding thepip'e inadjusted positions; vertically." The up'an'd do'wnmoverrient of thepipe-lT-is made possible bythe rocking movement' ofthe' casing it, to which said pipe is secured'at its upper end? Opposite tothe'uppe1"end"oftl1e pipe H is a short pipe 22, turned to one side of the tractor, and fitted with a mouth 23. As a matter of convenience the shaft ll may comprise the power shaft of the tractor, which is commonly rotated in a direction contrary to that of the traction wheels. In the showing in Fig. 1 this would result in a reverse movement of the fan, with a suction action in the pipe IT, and discharge through the mouth 23.

Fixed to the lower end of the pipe I! is a short hose section 26, preferably attached by means of a bayonet slot and pin joint at 2'5, permitting a detachable connection of the hose section with the end of the pipe. At the lower end of the section 26 is a nozzle 28, of elongated form, and shown just above a young plant, A, as of corn, and just ahead of the inner one of a gang of cultivator shovels 30, supported from a beam 3!, carried by the tractor by means of a frame 32 and rod 33, attached at the front thereof. The nozzle 28 passes sufficiently near the young plant to cause the leaves to be drawn upwardly by the suction in the pipe I! and nozzle section to prevent any of the young leaves from being covered by the earth, as the shovels pass along, and until some of the earth has been deposited about the roots.

The mechanism above described is duplicated on the other side of the tractor so that the two rows of corn that are being cultivated are not only in proximity to the inner pair of shovels 30, but also within convenient range of the pair of nozzles 28, which for this purpose are positioned at a. relatively low point near the young plants. The degree of suction may be controlled by means of a damper in the pipe H, the position of which may be adjusted by a handle at 34.

In Fig. 2 is shown a similar tractor 5, supported by wheels 6 and 1, and fitted with a rotatable shaft H at the side. A blower I6 is also shown, similar to the one in Fig. 1, driven from the shaft II by means of pulleys l2 and I4, connected by a cross-belt 35. The blower is also fitted with a pipe I? and intake 22, with a mouth 23 at one side. With the shaft H rotating in the same direction as the shaft of that numeral shown in Fig. 1, the movement of the blower is reversed, with a force of air outwardly thru the pipe l1, and drawn in thru the intake 22. The pipe H is supported by a collar and ring 36, connected with one of a series of hooks 31 on the tractor, by means of which the pipe can be held in adjusted positions, vertically. The pipe has a short curved section at Ila, with a jointed connection at 38, and with the end of this last section is connected a flexible nozzle section 39, of the sprinkler type; The flexible nozzle sections can be carried just above the rows of corn, or a little at the side thereof, with the nozzles properly directed.

This last-named apparatus is intended to be used at the time of a second or later cultivation of the corn, when it is a foot or more in height, as indicated at B in Fig. 2, to partially support the plant while the earth is being deposited against the same by the inner of a gang of shovels 30, supported from a beam 3|, partly broken away, and similar to the shovels shown in Fig. 1. In addition to bracing the com, the stream of air from the nozzle tends to pack down the young weeds about the roots of the corn, as indicated at C, just ahead of the shovels, with the result of the weeds being well covered by the ridge of earth.

The discharge pipe can be raised or lowered 4 as desired, to conform to the height of the corn, and held in such adjusted position by the hooks 31 as mentioned.

In the last-named operation of the blower apparatus, it can also be employed for spraying or dusting upon the young plants an insecticide, such as D. D. T. for the killing of larvae, moths, or other insects destructive to the young corn, and making their abode therein. For this purpose there is mounted on the blower a container 40, from which small quantities of the insecticide can be discharged thru an opening into the blower, to enter the air stream thereof.

In Fig. 2 is also shown a head-light 42, with a lamp bulb 43 held therein, and an opening at 44 encircling the neck of the bulb. By disconnecting the extra joint and nozzle joint of the pipe, and elevating it into horizontal position, as shown in broken lines, and reversing the movement of the rotary fan, a current of air will be drawn in from the light, carrying with it moths and bugs which are attracted by the' light. These are drawn into the blower and destroyed therein, after which they are blown out.

What I claim, and desire to secure, is:

1. In combination with a tractor and a power shaft carried thereby, a blower casing rockingly mounted on said tractor, a rotary fan in said casing, an air pipe connected with said casing, means for rotating said fan from said power shaft for causing a current of air to flow into and through said pipe, a nozzle connected to the end of said pipe, cultivating devices carried by said tractor closely behind said nozzle, said nozzle being so supported in proximity to a row of plants that the current of air passing therethrough acts to support a plant during cultivation, said cultivating devices cultivating each plant coincidently with the action of the current -of air in said nozzle on each said plant.

2. A combination as recited in claim 1, in which the nozzle is so positioned and the current of air is so directed that there is a suction which acts to hold up the leaves of the plant.

3. A combination as recited in claim 1, in which the nozzle is so positioned and the current of air is so directed that there is a stream of air directed against the plant and which acts to brace the plant and to pack down weeds near the plant.

- GUSTAVE L. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nisbet Apr. 11, 1944 

